Unlocking the potential? – Australia's digital strategy and major public libraries

Abstract

This paper examines some implications for public libraries of the Australian government's 2009 strategy for the digital economy. Many countries have produced national digital strategies in recent years, but these key pieces of policy architecture have received little critical attention. The rhetorical framing of the Australian document indicates the shift of communication and information to the centre of economic policy. This has particular significance for public libraries, as the major public information portals and cultural storehouses of liberal democracies. The strategy's emphasis on productivity and economic competitiveness, boosted by a proposed high‐speed national broadband network, presents major opportunities for Australian libraries. However, libraries and other collecting institutions have voiced concern over assumptions that they can simply ‘unlock’ their collections and supply content for new broadband applications. In contrast to some other countries, the Australian strategy pays no attention to the profound implications for information integrity and cultural memory presented by the expansion of cultural and economic activity in the digital sphere. The challenge for public libraries, the paper argues, is to explore ways that orthodox library responsibilities and new roles can be articulated in this evolving policy framework.